God Thoughts No. Thirty-Five

One sees the Homeless in a different light

when homelessness becomes a near and real possibility.

Something happened a few days ago

which affected me greatly.

A young man, who couldn't have been any older than twenty,

and I were walking toward each other down a narrow lane.

In order to avoid bumping into each other, one of us was going to have to turn sideways.

Although he made no eye contact with me and appeared not to even see me,

as we neared one another, we both turned a bit sideways to get by each other.

As he passed by, my heart lurched within my chest as tears sprang to my eyes.

I was overcome with emotion as the Lord imparted His love for this young man into my heart.

As it turns out, we ended up in the same line - him standing in front of me.

As I stood behind him, I observed that he was a bit unkempt.

I looked at his clothing which was a bit dirty, but not filthy.

His hair was mussed, but cut relatively short.

As I looked down toward his feet, I saw that he was wearing long shorts

and beyond them were two very dirty calves.

As I continued looking, I noticed that he was wearing a pair of hightop sneakers

but he didn't have them on all the way.

He was stepping on the backs of them with two very dirty, sore feet.

His right heel was severely cracked in two places to the point of bleeding.

His left heel was rimmed with small blisters which had popped and crusted over.

Once again, tears sprang to my eyes.

I began to pray for him and ask the Lord to bless him.

I reached out my hand to touch him, but it was his turn in line.

I then lost track of him.

But he had to come back.

Our paths were to cross once again.

Still no eye contact.

He seemed to have an uncanny ability to appear as if he saw no one

while efficiently accomplishing what he needed to do.

And strangely, no one else appeared to take any notice of him.

Once again I was standing behind him.

I stepped to his left side so that I could study his profile.

I noticed that he had a very tiny tatoo near the outside corner of his eye.

Perhaps a tear drop.

I'm not really sure because it was very faint and very small.

Tears sprang to my eyes again.

This time I whispered my prayers,

hoping that he would turn to see what I was doing.

He didn't.

He waited for his turn, then was once again gone.

As I stood reflecting on this young man

and the emotions within me,

I realized that my family and I could very easily and very soon become that young man.

Homeless.

Sore.

Ignored by society.

Every day is a walk in faith.

Each day is lived with the hope that God will provide.

Each day is one day closer to the possibilty of homelessness.

I have thought about that young man every day since my encounter with him.

With each thought of him, God increases my love toward him.

The Lord has shown me that because I have been obedient to pray for him,

that young man is another step closer to becoming what God intended for him to be.

He is destined for greatness.

He is destined for the Kingdom.

I have asked the Lord that should my situation in life change for the better,

that He would direct me to that young man

so that I may be blessed with helping him in a real and practical way.

Whether I see him again on this earth or not,

I am confident that I will see him in heaven.

Whether we become homeless or not remains to be seen.

But I do know that I will never look at another homeless person

in the same light.

Nor will I ever ignore another homeless person.

Because in doing so, I miss out on the blessing of experiencing God's love for them.

"Do not judge and criticize and condemn others,

so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves."

 Matthew 7:1

I  believe that if we followed this simple verse, the world would be a different kind of place.

Never-the-less,

I know that I have been changed - for the better.

God is good.

Come what may.

Sheltering Wings

Hiding under the shelter

of the wings of the Most High.

The Shadow of Destruction

edging ever closer.

Death; a welcomed friend.

Destruction; a fate unfathomed.

Abiding under the wings

of the One who protects.

While meeting, face-to-face,

the one who destroys.

Under the Shadow of Shelter

within the grasp of terror.

Safe within the armor

of the promises of the Most High;

Protected from the threat

of destruction.

Evil would destroy.

Goodness will protect.

Choices

Life is full of choices.

Perception and attitude are among those choices.

Whether one sees the glass as half full or half empty,

the facts remains that there is, indeed, water in it.

Whether one focuses on the positive or on the negative

is up to each individual.

Today, I am purposing to remain in an attitude of thankfulness.

One week ago today, my son broke his arm.

It was no minor break either.

In fact, the ER doctor said that the only time they see a break that bad

is if someone has been hit with a baseball bat or something similar.

I am thankful that that was not the case with my son.

It turns out that he had some sort of cyst on his bone which caused it to weaken.

So something as simple as slipping and falling on it, snapped that Humerus right in half,

but not without some splintering as well.

However, I am thankful that the cyst was discovered by this break

because it has saved him from some potential difficulties in the future.

Despite the severity of the break,

I am thankful that he didn't have to have surgery.

I am thankful that we live in country where medical care is not withheld,

even if you don't have medical insurance.

I am thankful for the friends who met me at the pharmacy and paid for my son's meds

and took me to the gas station and filled my gas tank for the trips back and forth to the doctors' offices

(120 miles round trip, three days in a row).

I am thankful that I was able to borrow the $300 deposit

 that the Orthopedic Doctor requires from cash patients.

I am thankful that Orthodist gave us a 50% discount on the special brace

for my son's arm since we are a cash customer.

I am thankful that I received a $200 check the day after I

wrote the check to the Orthodist so that my bank account was not overdrawn.

I am thankful that my eyes have been opened to the importance and impact

that our perceptions and attitudes have on our mental well-being.

For when we focus on the negative, our spirits are crushed.

But when we choose an attitude of thankfulness and

choose to see things through the eyes of the Divine,

our spirits are lifted.

I am thankful that God promises to never leave nor forsake His children.

I am thankful that He is a good and gracious Father and delights in doing good for them.



Feeling the Loss

“God blesses you who are poor,

for the Kingdom of God is yours.

God blesses you who are hungry now,

for you will be satisfied.

God blesses you who weep now,

for in due time you will laugh."

Luke 6:20a-21

I know that these words are true.

I hold onto them as if my life depended on them.

In fact, my life does depend on them.

Standing in the midst of extreme adverse circumstances.

Standing with the One who knows the beginning from the end.

Yet, missing the only other one who understood without judgement.

My mom was the other person on this earth who knew the details of our circumstances.

She was the one who could relate because she had been through it.

She was the one who could offer godly wisdom

and do so without judgement.

She knew my heart. She knew my faith.

She knew me.

Today, as I stand in the midst of this mess called life;

standing with the One who knows the beginning from the end,

I ask, "How am I to do this without anyone here who understands?"

I know that the One who stands with me also understands,

yet, I really miss my mom.

I believe the words spoken by Jesus.

I know that He knows the beginning from the end.

I stand with Him, living one moment at a time.

It really is all that I can do.

What My Mom Taught Me

In the year since my mom left us to go take her place in heaven,

I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the things she taught me.

The one thing that resounds the loudest and most frequently

is that death is not something that has to be feared.

She believed the Scripture

and John 3:16 was a verse she held firmly to;

"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life."

There were times where she struggled in and with her faith

and questioned many things that she had been taught about God,

but she knew that Jesus loved her and as she grew in her relationship with Him,

she learned to rest in the fact that faith in Christ was her assurance of heaven.

Because of  this, I too learned that, for the one who believes in Jesus as Messiah,

there is absolutely no reason to fear death.

For, absence from this earth means presence with Him in heaven.

My mom has taken her place in heaven.

Though no longer on this earth,

she is alive in heaven and will one day return to rule and reign with Christ.

What a wonderful promise from a loving Father

to all of His children; attainable because of Christ by each one's choosing to believe in Him.

It truly is as simple as John 3:16 says.

Thank you Jesus!

And thank you, Mom, for teaching this to me.

If, when I leave this earth, my children have the same testimony of me,

 I will know that I have done my job well.

Love & blessings to you all!

God Thoughts No. Thirty-Four

Every time I fall into the trap of judging others,

God faithfully reveals something of myself to me.

He knows me better than I know myself.

He sees my flaws,

yet looks at me through the eyes of Perfection.

When I remember this,

I too am able to see others

the way that He sees.

Indeed, this is Love!